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Bavarian pride at Munich's EURO 2020 logo launch

AzerTAg.az

Munich's road to UEFA EURO 2020 is open after the Bavarian city revealed its host city logo on Thursday, according to the official website of UEFA.

The picturesque Olympic Park was a fitting setting for the unveiling ceremony – with German Football Association (DFB) president Reinhard Grindel promising that Munich would be "wonderful hosts for fans" of "an extraordinary EURO".

A football stronghold, Munich is one of 13 cities hosting matches at EURO 2020, with the Fußball Arena München the venue for three group stage matches and one quarter-final in four years' time.

The city joins London, Rome, Baku, Bucharest and Glasgow in having presented its host city logo, and Amsterdam, Bilbao, Brussels, Budapest, Copenhagen, Dublin and St Petersburg will soon follow suit.

UEFA president Aleksander Čeferin said he was looking ahead to a "special celebration which will bring together east and west, and north and south", adding that Munich would be outstanding hosts. "It is always a pleasure to be here," he reflected.

The UEFA EURO 2020 visual identity includes 13 city logos, with each logo featuring a single iconic bridge from the city in question – a symbol of the connection between the various venues. The bridge in Munich's logo is the Wittelsbacher Brücke, built between 1903 and 1905 and named after a royal family. "We want to build bridges between the countries, between the cities and between the supporters," explained UEFA general secretary Theodore Theodoridis.

The Fußball Arena München is 11 years old, and has already proved to be a worthy venue for big occasions. The opening game of the 2006 FIFA World Cup was played there and, more recently, it served as the location for the 2012 UEFA Champions League final between Bayern München and Chelsea.

Munich's mayor Dieter Reiter welcomed the "striking, colourful logo", as did German football great and Bayern CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge. "It reflects everything that Munich stands for," he said. "Bavaria can be very proud that this EURO will take place here at our stadium in Munich."